Pasternack Blog

Part 1: What is a balun, what does a balun do, and when is a balun needed? What is a balun? A balun (mashup of balanced and unbalanced) is a three-port device, or a type of broadband RF transmission line transformer, with a matched input and differential output that is used to connect balanced transmission ..

The Schottky diode, named after German physicist Walter H. Schottky, is a semiconductor diode formed by the junction of a semiconductor with a metal. It has a low forward voltage drop and a very fast switching action.  Compared with the point contact diode used in similar applications, the zero bias Schottky diode has a wider ..

A radio frequency (RF) microwave detector, also known as RF power detector or RF responding detector, is a two-terminal device used to detect, and in some way, measure or convert an RF signal. As the receiving element, an RF detector is used in converting amplitude-modulated microwave signals to baseband (or video) signals in either a ..

With RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave systems, the component and system losses, along with frequency dependent gain and losses of devices and components, lead to uneven frequency versus gain slopes in many systems. This is often undesirable, especially in high precision sensing and test and measurement applications. For example, with wideband radar technologies, a precisely controlled ..

Is many applications, amplifiers are used to increase the strength of a signal, while minimizing the distortion and noise without sacrificing efficiency. However, with most receiver systems, and other applications, achieving the highest signal power isn’t the goal. As receivers circuits are typically highly sensitive to input power, and can be desensitized or damaged if ..

A Gunn diode, though very unlike other common semiconductor diodes, is a transferred electron device (TED) that presents a negative resistance after its threshold voltage is adequately exceeded. The controllable negative resistance properties of a Gunn Diode allows it to be used as a microwave oscillator, and these devices are often used in microwave communications, ..

In our last post, the potential benefits of rugged RF test cables for handheld analyzers and cable testers was discussed. In this post, we will focus more on the features of rugged RF test cables, and how they provide benefits for harsh environment and use applications. As was mentioned in the last blog, the main ..

The most recent handheld RF analyzers and cable testers for telecommunications are multi-functional instruments rich with features, and offer near-laboratory grade performance. This is extremely impressive considering many of these testers, which operate as network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, fault testers, signal generators, power meters, modulation analyzers, amongst other features, can be slung over a shoulder ..

In many applications, a threaded RF connection may be impractical, or even impossible. Some examples include panel, daughter cards, or inserts with many RF connections. In these cases the pitch between the connectors may necessarily be too small for a threaded nut, or the card/assembly may be inserted into a slot where there is no ..

There are many coaxial connectors used in wireless and wired networks, including DIN 7/16, N, 4.1/9.5, and the 4.3-10 interface. Typically, the choice of a connector boils down to economics, power handling, size, and installation criteria. However, the increasing number of wireless network bands and mobile data rates pose a very stringent requirement for transmission ..